Shedding mechanism for looms.



No. 729,146. PATENTED MAY 26, 1903 A. D. EMERY, DEG'D. v w. '12 a '11. M. EMEBY, ADMINISTRATOBS.

SHEDDING- MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION nun mm: 14, 1901. no MODEL.

26 sea, W a m.

UNlTED STATES Patented may Q6, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

W'ALTER T. EMERY, OF DEDHAM, AND ESTELLE M. EMERY, OF TAUNTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ADMINISTRATORS OF ABRAM D. EMERY, DECEASED, ASSIGNORS TO DRAPER COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

SHEDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,146, dated. May 26, 1903.

Application filed June 14, 1901.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that ABRAM D. EMERY, late a citizen of the United States, residing at Milford, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, deceased, did invent an Improvement in Shedding Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

To those skilled in the art of weaving it is well known that a uniform shed-opening is highly desirable, as the tension of the warps is then the same every time the shed is opened, with a consequent uniformity in the appearance of the cloth; but in ordinary looms it is not now possible to obtain the same shed-opening on successive picks without a perfection of design in cams and a nicety of adjustment that is impractical with this class of mechanism, for if the shed opening or angle is correct with the harnesses in one position relative to the fell any setting of the harnesses toward or away from the fell, as is sometimes necessary, will change the angles of the upper and lower planes of the warps when the shed is open, and consequently the shed-opening will be changed. This is due to the construction of the usual shedding mechanism, the harness treadles being fulcrumed at the back of the loom and connected at their front ends to the harnesses, and as the back harness must have a longer stroke than the front harness it is now necessary to use a large cam to actuate the back harness and a smaller cam for the front harness. In the ordinary harness arrangement there is a seesawing or rendering of each Warp-thread back and forth in the eye of its heddle as the harness shifts, thereby chafing the threads and tending to break them. This is especially noticeable in case offla knot occurring in a warp-thread, as the knot will be caught first on one side of the heddle or warp-eye and then on the other side, and perhaps three or four times before the take-up operation carries it beyond the reach of the heddle. As a result of this backand-forth drag of the knot the warp-thread is very apt to break, causing unnecessary Serial No. 64,490. (No model.)

of the mechanism in addition to overcoming the objectionable features hereinbefore referred to.

Another object of the present invention is to avoid the seesawing or rendering of the warp-threads, hereinbefore referred to, and it.

is accomplished by pivoting the actuating-1evers with which the harnesses are connected in such relation to the fell of the cloth that the plane of each harness is substan-.

tially parallel with a plane passing through the fell of the cloth and the axis or fulcrum of the actuating-levers, and as a consequence the distance from each warp-eye to the fell of the cloth is substantially equalto the distance from the axis of the actuating-lever to the point where the said lever is connected to the corresponding harness. As a result the planes of the shed move in substantial parallelism with the actuating-levers, and consequently the only relative movement between the warp-threads and the warp-eyes is that due to the take-up action.

The drawing represents in cross-section a sufficient portion of a loom with one embodiment of this invention applied thereto.

The main shaft C cam-shaft C, provided, respectively, with gears e and c, the intermediate pinion c', the front and back harnesses H H, and the overhead flexible connection h between them may be and are all of usual or well-known construction in looms, 5

D, fast on the cam-shaft C, and herein it I00 will be seen that the cams are duplicates in size and shape.

At the front of the loom on a stand or bracket B two short levers B B are fulcrumed at B the fulcrum being substantially in line with and practically beneath the fellf 0f the cloth.

In the most perfect embodiment of the invention the plane which intersects the fell of the cloth and the fulcrum of the levers B B should be substantially parallel with the planes in which the harnesses reciprocate. Suitable links I) 1) connect the levers B B with the treadles T T, respectively, the distance between the links and the fulcrum T being the same, so that the levers B B will be rocked through equal arcs. At their inner ends the levers are notched on their under sides, as shown, to retain in place loops 2 3, to which are attached the straps or other connections h h, leading from the harnesses H H, respectively, and as the back harness must have the longer stroke it is connected with its lever B farther from the fulcrum B than the front-harness connection with its lever B.

In connecting the harnesses the perpendicular distance between the warp-eyes w of the back harness and the lever B is equal to that between the warp-eyes w of the front harness and its lever B and substantially the same as the perpendicular distance between the fell of the cloth and the fulcrum B that is, in order that there may be no chafing of the warp-threads at the warp-eyes the distance of the latter from the fell of the cloth should be substantially equal to the distance from the point of their harness connection with the actuating-lever to the fulcrum on which such lever swings. Thus, referring to the drawing, the distance from the warp-eyes w to the fell f should be substantially equal to the distance from the fulcrum B to the point at which the loop 2 engages the actuating-lever b. In such case there will be no rendering of the thread back and forth in the warp-eye. Thus each lever moves in substantial parallelism with one of the planes of the shed, and the shed-angle at any instant is consequently equal to the angle between the levers at such instant, and if the levers are rocked through uniform arcs, as they are, the shed opening or angle will always be uniform.

If it is desired to move both harnesses back by shifting their connections with the levers B B, it is obvious that the shed-opening at the reed will remain the same, while a larger or smaller shed-opening can be produced by simply moving the links I) 1) into different notches on the treadles T and T. Again, with the construction herein shown it is immaterial whether the front harness is up or down, for the shed-opening will be the same in either case, owing to the substantial parallelism of the levers B B with the two planes of the shed.

While two harnesses are herein shown and actuating means therefor, it will be manifest that the underlying principles of the invention are equally adapted to three or more harnesses, an additional lever and treadle being provided for each added harness.

The fact that only one size of shedding-cam is necessary in the operation of the invention obviates the necessity of keeping on hand extra sets of cams of various sizes and reduces the cost of maintenance, as well as the first cost of production.

The invention is not restricted to the precise construction herein shown and described, as the same may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. In shedding mechanism, a plurality of actuating-levers fulcrumed substantially directly beneath the fell of the cloth, harnesses connected therewith, the distance between the warp-eyes of a harness and the fell being substantially equal to that between the fulcrum of its actuating-lever and the point of connection between the lever and the harness, to thereby maintain a uniform shed-opening irrespective of the change in the vertical positions of the harnesses, and means to rock the levers.

2. In shedding mechanism, harnesses, actuating-levers therefor fulcrumedin front of the harnesses and substantially directly beneath the fell and movable in parallelism with the planes of the shed, whereby a uniform shedopening is maintained on successivepicks,and means to rock the levers, the distance between the warp-eyes of a harness and the fell of the cloth being substantially equal to the distance i from the fulcrum of the actuating-lever to the point of connection of the harness therewith.

3. In a loom, harnesses, actuating-levers fulcrumed at their outer ends substantially directly beneath the fell of the cloth, and connected at their inner ends with the harnesses, the distance between the warp-eyes of a harness and the point of connection with its lever being substantially equal to the distance between its fulcrum and the fell, the planes of the harnesses being parallel to a plane passing through the fulcrum of the actuatinglevers and the fell, whereby the shed-opening will be substantially uniform irrespective of the change in the vertical positions of the harnesses, or of the distance of the harnesspaths from the fell, and means to rock said levers, including like shedding-cams.

4. In shedding mechanism, a plurality of harnesses, an actuating-lever connected with each, said levers having a common fulcrum, located directly beneath the fell, like shedding-cams, a treadle operated by each, and a connection between each treadle and one of the levers, all of the said connections being equidistant from the common lever-fulcrum,

the distance between the warp-eyes of a harness and the fell being substantially equal to the distance between the lever-fulcrum and the point of connection of the harness with' its actuating-lever.

5. In shedding niachanism, a plurality of harnesses, an actuating-lever for each, said levers having a common fulcrum located substantially directly beneath the fell, a connection between each lever and its harness, said connections being successively farther from the fulcrum as their respective harnesses are farther from the fell, the distance between the fulcrum and the harness connection with a lever being substantially equal to the distance between the warp-eyes of each harness and the fell, the levers being movable in substantial parallelism with the planes of the shed, and means to rock the levers through equal arcs.

6. Asheddingmechanismforloomshaving, in combination, a plurality of harnesses, an actuating-leverfor each, said levers being fulcrumed forward of the harnesses, a connection between each lever and its harness, said connections being adjustably united to said levers, actuating-treadles, one for each of said levers, said treadles being pivoted back of the harnesses, and each being adjustably 1 connected to its lever, and actuating-cams for said treadles respectively.

7. A shedding mechanism for looms having, in combination, a plurality of harnesses, an actuating-lever for each, said levers having a common fulcrum located beneath the fell, a connection between each lever and its harness, said connections where united to said levers being successively farther from said fulcrum as their respective harnesses are farther from the fell, and said connections being adj ustably united to said levers, said treadles being pivoted to a common fulcrum back of the harnesses, and each being adj ustably connected to its lever, and like actuating-cams for said treadles respectively.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of subscribing witnesses.

WALTER T. EMERY, ESTELLE M. EMERY, Administrators of the estate of Abram D.

Emery, deceased. Witnesses to Walter T. Emery:

JOHN C. EDWARDS, AUGUSTA E. DEAN. Witnesses to E. M. E.:

DAVID G. OKEEFE, FREDERICK S. HALL. 

